According to Kola Olugbodi, CEO, Background Check International, BCI, about 33% of applicants present forged credentials, submit fabricated, exaggerated and misleading CVs just to become employable. “Certificate forgery has gained ground because the Nigerian society places too much priority on certificates, thus the need for background checks during recruitment,” Olugbodi said. Citing instances of doctors, bankers, lawyers, engineers, among others, that have forged certificates to get jobs, Olugbodi said that certificate forgery is not gender sensitive. He said about 10% of most companies’ workforce has tainted backgrounds or such tendencies. More organisations are making background checks on new recruits. When they find out that you are fake, you won’t have any excuse.” He also cited cases of people that didn’t go to school at all but forged certificates just to gain employment.
